pcarr-vintage-fitted-baseball-cap-collection

Everybody’s got their “something”. For cap collector Paul Carr it’s vintage Major and Minor league fitted baseball hats. Like many of our readers, he’s got his own unique perspective on what makes this piece of American culture great. His prized collection proves that even in this modern age, there is still room for nostalgia. More on our favorite obsession after the jump.

SF: Name / Age / Occupation

P: Paul Carr, 23. Teacher’s Aide, Student and Musician www.undergonelive.com

SF: When did you first start collecting vintage baseball caps. What inspired the idea?

P: I guess it’s a combination of things. When I was a kid I in the mid-90s I loved baseball, and I received a bunch of 70s baseball cards from my grandparents as a gift. I was fascinated by all the bright-colored caps and odd-looking logos I had never seen before. I went to a local flea market and someone was selling a few old caps. For some reason I ended up with an 80s Angels cap made by New Era which I still have in mint condition today. I also had some kind of sports magazine that advertised the remakes made by Roman and I had my parents order me a few of those. I still have them but I wore them a lot and they fell apart real quick. I usually found others at flea markets an I would just buy them because I knew they didn’t make them anymore. Some I wore, some I didn’t.

SF: Do you sell and trade pieces from your collection?

P: Not normally, but I will if I get something I want in return.

SF: Most of these caps have been out of circulation for decades. How do you search for and find them?

P: Aside from the flea markets I mentioned, eBay is my main source now. You have to search really hard to find the good stuff. I also found a few obscure websites selling old caps, but they are gone now. I guess luck had to do with some of it.

SF: What is your “holy grail” at the moment?

P: There isn’t one in particular, but the Kelley Green A’s, The Giants with the Orange bill, and the “taco bell” Padres caps are all very rare and I consider myself lucky to have them.

SF: There have been many of companies that have produced baseball caps over the years. What made you choose Roman and New Era?

P: Simply because they are the most abundant. Roman was the first company to carry the “Cooperstown Collection” tags. Their remakes were pretty much %100 accurate since they provided the embroidery for their predecessor, Tim McAullife/KM Pro Cap. All teams before expansion used KM Pro at one time or another. Roman began making caps in the late 70s when KM Pro went out of business. Roman made on-field caps, but they became more known for remaking the old styles. Even though Roman has been gone for more than a decade their caps still show up frequently. When KM Pro caps show up on sites like eBay they are almost always too far out of my price range. I do have a few caps made by Sports Specialties. They don’t show up too often though since they were only in the pro-model cap market for about a decade.

SF: What’s the appeal with the nostalgic cap? What qualities do these vintage styles have that their contemporary counterparts are missing?

P: I can’t say what it is exactly, maybe it’s the designs, the colors, the legendary players seen wearing them in old pictures, it could be a number of different things. I love the fact that caps made before the mid 80s were hand made. Because of that, there are no two caps that are exactly the same. That, and the fact that no one makes leather sweatbands anymore.

SF: What was your first baseball cap?

P: My first fitted was a Chicago Cubs road cap with the red bill. I got it when I was 9. I wore it so much that the red “C” turned white and I think my Mom threw it away, hahaha. I was saddened to find out that the Cubs stopped using that road cap this past season.

SF: What is your favorite out of your collection?

P: The “taco bell” 70s and 80s Padres caps. Those have always been my favorite.

SF: Let’s talk about team logos. What franchise do you consider to have had the best designs over their history?

P: I love all the different varieties of Padres caps up until 1984. But I can’t pick a favorite. I also love the Chicago Cubs as well and all the different variations they’ve had over the years.

SF: Do you wear pieces in your collection or are they just for display?

P: No way. I like to keep them as mint as possible. I consider them an investment. I like to wear contemporary ones. Right now I mostly wear a San Jose Giants (minor league) cap. Gotta support the home team. I also have a 1984 Padres New Era Cooperstown remake. It’s not very accurate but it’s still cool. I’m also going to try and get another Chicago Cubs road cap before they disappear from the stores.